Almost one
month after Japan's successful launch of the Kaguya lunar probe, the unmanned
observatory has begun its first major activities in orbit around the moon.
In addition
to snapping its first lunar images, the probe jettisoned one of two 110-pound (50-kilogram) "baby" satellites that
will help create a detailed gravity map of the moon.
The
separation of the miniature satellite, called Rstar, occurred on Oct. 8 at 8:36
p.m. EDT (0036 GMT Oct. 9). Mission managers expect Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency's Kaguya to
jettison its second 3.3-foot-diameter (1-meter-diameter) mini-satellite called VRAD
on Oct. 14.
The 55
billion yen ($480 million) Kaguya spacecraft, formally known as the SELenological and ENgineering
Explorer (SELENE), is named after a moon princess in Japanese folklore. The
spacecraft successfully was launched on Sept. 14 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan and entered
lunar orbit on Oct. 5.
Kaguya will
conduct detailed
studies of the moon using 14 different science instruments from a height of
about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the lunar surface during its mission.
Japanese engineers and scientists designed the spacecraft to produce
high-resolution surface and gravity maps, observe the moon's magnetic fields
and even search for water ice, among other
science objectives, during the one-year mission.
China plans
to launch the next moon-bound spacecraft, called the Chang'e-1, by the end of
the year, followed by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and India's
Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft
in 2008.
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